Petrol Supply Improves In Accra

The fuel shortage that hit Accra is beginning to ease, as some of the fuel stations have begun receiving supplies. A number of the filling stations received petrol last Tuesday, while others were supplied with the commodity Wednesday.

However, many others were yet to receive their consignment. When the Daily Graphic visited some filling stations at Nima, Airport, Asylum Down and Adabraka, a few fuel tankers were seen discharging petrol into reservoirs at the stations.

Absence of vehicular queues

Tankers that had already supplied fuel to the stations were parked, while others were leaving the stations. The unusually long vehicular queues that formed at most of the fuel stations last Monday were absent.

At the Goil Service Station at Nima, there was no petrol, though the station had an adequate supply of diesel.

Insufficient supply

The manager of the station, Mr S. O. Peprah, said since the beginning of this year, petrol supply to his station had been “insufficient, as we do not get the normal supply”.

“I was supplied petrol just this Monday but I had run out of stock as of Tuesday,” he complained, blaming the shortage partly on inadequate supply and panic buying among motorists.

There was petrol for sale to motorists at the Nima Shell Station but the Station Director, Mr Edward Botwe, said, “Since we had insufficient supply on Tuesday, we will run out of stock today.” He claimed that Shell was rationing fuel to its retail outlets.

Frustration at shortage

A 57-year-old taxi driver, Mr Kwame Nyame, who was refuelling his vehicle at the Total Filling Station at the Farrar Avenue, Adabraka, said most filling stations he had driven to did not have petrol.

“Much as it is frustrating going to places and being told there is no fuel, I think things are beginning to improve,” he said.

Mr Adu Poku, another motorist, was disturbed by “the inability of the government to ensure continuous supply of petrol throughout the country”. “Everything has to do with fuel and we cannot afford enduring these messy shortages,” he fumed.

More fuel expected

When contacted, the Chief Executive of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Duah, blamed the persistent fuel shortage in the country partly on congestion of delivery fuel tankers at the Tema depot.

“Presently, many tankers are held up at the Tema depot, awaiting deliveries to supply to the various stations across the country,” he said. Besides, he said, there had been delays by vessels bringing petrol into the country.

However, Mr Agyeman-Duah said a vessel carrying 32.2 million litres of petrol had berthed at the Tema Port, adding that other vessels carrying a total of 131 million litres were expected in the country by January 31.

“As you know, the consumption of petrol in Ghana is 32 million litres a week and so we anticipate that the entire 131 million litres will last for more than three weeks,” he said.

Source: Graphic Online